Dec 6, 2017 7:36 AM

I have designed a children's book in Adobe Illlustrator. Saving this file has been difficult.

I uploaded the file and purchased a proof. It was poor color quality. After talking with createspace, I changed the file from RGB to CMYK and adjusted the colors.

SAVING AS A PDF

Saving the revised file has met many roadblocks. I consulted a graphic designer friend, and we tried several saving options in Adobe PDF save as. Once the colors were true in the preview as compared to the illustrator document, we wrote down the steps taken.

Here is what I tried recently and the outcome I got:

Save as Adobe PDF

PDFX 1a 2001

NO Layers

Compression Jpeg 2000

Convert to Destination

U.S. Web Coat SWOP v2

Include Embeded Profiles

WHAT HAPPENED.

I uploaded the new file to createspace. The colors were correct for the background, but none of the character images were there. All that was there were boxes. It may be important to add the characters were drawn by the illustrator and scanned in. I took these files into PS and removed the background, saved as a png, and placed into the ilIustrator file. There are transparencies in the character illustrations.

I contacted createspace customer service, and they had no answers.

My designer friend has surgery today (bummer) and cannot help me. This has been a several weeks process, and I am at the point of throwing it into the lap of a graphic designer. I would rather save the money if you guys and gals could point me in the right direction.

For starters I'll recommend making a PDF/X-1 compliant file. The options you've listed---JPEG 2000, embedded profiles, transparency---are not compliant. The empty boxes are probably where JPEG2000 images would be.

Since you have Illustrator and Photoshop, you probably also have Acrobat Pro. Once you've made the PDF, preflight it in Acrobat Pro to verify that it is PDF/X-1 compliant. It will give you a list of problems if it finds any; fix what it complains about, and try again until it stops complaining. Then upload that PDF.

I opened the file in Acrobat, as suggested, and the images are there. No issues and no complaints.

Just to clarify, you do need to run the "Verify Compliance with PDF/X-1a" Preflight check after opening the file in Acrobat Pro. If you did that, great, it just wasn't clear to me (opening the file won't automatically run the Preflight.)